Shannon Mayer’s Destroyer A Review
I have to be honest, I got tricked into liking Shannon Mayer’s works. I decided to give her elemental series since it seemed to be up my alley and my enjoyment of it back doored me into the Rylee series. And the overlaps were confusing to say the least since the Rylee books continued with books after the series had officially ended. And with the ever changing loyalties, powers and interests—it did end up being up my Alley.
Destroyer was a huge surprise though as it ended the series with the subtlety of a wile e Coyote anvil dropping on it. It seemed, going in that we were going to see Larkspur become trained (finally with an official teacher!) and perhaps a reunion with Ash as she prepped for the battle with the false goddess. Instead, as so often happens with Larkspur, she got hit upside the head with disaster after disaster and we find out that some of Lark’s allies are created by the false goddess and some of her enemies have been playing an incredibly long game and are actually friends. We even get a shock on the level of Darth Vader revealing himself as Luke’s father…
And Lark lives up to her moniker of the Destroyer.
Overall, it was a strong and compelling story that truly ends the Rylee and Lark series’ for good.
Can’t wait to read the new series Mayer is starting!
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Destroyer (The Elemental Series) (Volume 7)
The Elemental Series
Paranormal
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (May 30, 2017)
330 pages
“What a fantastic start to a new fantasy series! I love a strong female lead and we were delivered that in spades with Larkspur . . . This story is fast paced and exciting right from the start. I can't wait to see what comes next!”
-Boundless Book Reviews
From HiJinks Ink Publishing and Shannon Mayer comes The USA Today Bestselling ELEMENTAL SERIES beginning with RECURVE (Book 1). With over 1.4 million books sold, Shannon Mayer proves, once again, she can dominate her genre right out of the gate.
“My name is Larkspur, and I am an Elemental.”
My people use the power of the earth to sustain life and defy our enemies. I should be at my father's side as a royal princess. But as a half-breed, bastard child, that isn't going to happen.
Taken away by the last Spirit Walker, I am mean to train with him so that I can finally stop the false mother goddess and her plans to rule both humans and elementals. I am meant to train so that I can meet her on even ground, but training takes time.
Time is not something we have. The world is coming apart at the seams as the humans rain down destruction upon their own kind and the supernatural world. The false mother goddess is hunting down the most powerful elementals to take the last of their power, and through it all, the secrets of who I truly am begin to spill upward.
I must find the strength to stop the mother goddess, and to save our world, but which aspect of my heart will hold me up and what will it cost me in the end?
Blood of the earth. . . .
Child of Spirit. . . .
Bastard Princess . . .
Ender . . .
Protector . . .
Destroyer.
Rachel Caine’s Stillhouse Lake
This book is a departure for Rachel Caine, but it was still a great read. It starts with a “typical” housewife who is happy in her life until, in a Blackbeard’s wife situation, it is discovered that her husband has been kidnapping, torturing and killing women in the families garage. After being tried as an accomplice, she takes her kids and runs, buying fake identities and running anytime it appears that she may be found out.
She’s found a place that she likes, though, and decides to fight to keep her life there despite the fact that murders similar to the ones her husband committed start occurring. And in the process she finds an ally whom she ends up falling in love with. And it may be just in time, too, as her husband escapes just at the books end. Can’t wait to read book two!
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Fiction
Thomas & Mercer
2017-07
300
An Amazon Charts most-read book. Gina Royal is the definition of average--a shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husband's secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctor--the ultimate warrior mom. With her ex now in prison, Gwen has finally found refuge in a new home on remote Stillhouse Lake. Though still the target of stalkers and Internet trolls who think she had something to do with her husband's crimes, Gwen dares to think her kids can finally grow up in peace. But just when she's starting to feel at ease in her new identity, a body turns up in the lake--and threatening letters start arriving from an all-too-familiar address. Gwen Proctor must keep friends close and enemies at bay to avoid being exposed--or watch her kids fall victim to a killer who takes pleasure in tormenting her. One thing is certain: she's learned how to fight evil. And she'll never stop.
Review of Come Sundown by Nora Roberts
I have long been a Nora Roberts fan and am constantly amazed by the number of novels she writes and they are usually always a good read. Sometimes they do end up recycling old themes and some books do have remarkable similarities. This doesn’t bother me though because each story has its own unique attributes and qualities. That being said, this book was a huge disappointment to me.
I went into the book expecting a story about a family and a central love affair. This book was not about the strength of a family or multi generational love stories. If anything, it was the story of the kidnapping, torture, rape and indoctrination of one female who was the black sheep of her family and on her way home when her life skipped the track.
Nora Roberts has had some dark books that were still exceptional, but this was not one of them. I kept expecting it to improve and for it to all come together but it never did. This is one of the worst Nora Roberts books I have ever read. Do not buy or read this book. It is brutal with rape, beatings and indoctrination into a loosely bible based theology.
I look forward to discussing all of this with fellow fans at my site bestbooklover.net and at the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BestBooklovernet-336745780072074/
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Fiction
May 30, 2017
480
A novel of suspense, family ties, and twisted passions from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Obsession... The Bodine ranch and resort in western Montana is a family business, an idyllic spot for vacationers. A little over thirty thousand acres and home to four generations, it’s kept running by Bodine Longbow with the help of a large staff, including new hire Callen Skinner. There was another member of the family once: Bodine’s aunt, Alice, who ran off before Bodine was born. She never returned, and the Longbows don’t talk about her much. The younger ones, who never met her, quietly presume she’s dead. But she isn’t. She is not far away, part of a new family, one she never chose—and her mind has been shattered... When a bartender leaves the resort late one night, and Bo and Cal discover her battered body in the snow, it’s the first sign that danger lurks in the mountains that surround them. The police suspect Cal, but Bo finds herself trusting him—and turning to him as another woman is murdered and the Longbows are stunned by Alice’s sudden reappearance. The twisted story she has to tell about the past—and the threat that follows in her wake—will test the bonds of this strong family, and thrust Bodine into a darkness she could never have imagined.
My Kind of Place and staircase, too!
Apparently this is a bookstore in France. Does anyone know anything about it?
Coolest bookshelf ever
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[Top]This City Gets My Vote For The Best Fountain Ever
https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/20245591_1275768385885259_7069377196855838039_n.jpg?oh=2d824b1d2befaf2d5d8cee22720d8800&oe=5A04CF39
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[Top]Review of Grave Ransom by Kalayna Price
Kalayna Price’s Grave Ransom
Let’s take a second and catch up to the storyline when Grave Ransom starts. Alexis Craft started out as a grave witch at the beginning of the series—one who is able to make “death” and other ghosts visible. She is the daughter to the governor, but since he is a fae hiding as a human and a member of the “Humans First” Organization which demonizes all things magic witches and fae included, he has distanced himself from her and created a clean identity for her that buries their familial ties. But as weird cases start cropping up, Alex is slowly revealed to be more than just a Grave witch. She is actually fae and a plane bender. This means that she is able to merge realities. And since there has not been a plane bender in a really long time, all of the fairy courts want her to join them. The most vehement of these is the Winter Queen, who badly wants Alexis to join her court. In the first novels it is revealed that the annoying Fae Investigation Bureau agent who has been driving Alex crazy is actually the Winter Knight, but not before Alex and he begin a sexual relationship that quickly develops into true love. But the Winter Knight is bound to the Queen and must follow her orders in all things. This has led to a horrible situation for Alex and the Winter Knight. And , just to complicate things a little more, through the series Alex’s relationship with the soul reaper whom she calls Death has also become a physical and sexual one.
This book was a great addition to the series, but unfortunately ends on a somewhat sour note. I am trying really hard not to write spoilers in this review, but its’s difficult. In this book, Alex goes up against a true necromancer who is putting peoples souls in other peoples bodies. In her quest to find the necromancer, she and Death end up on opposite sides of the issue.
I look forward to discussing all of this with fellow fans at my site bestbooklover.net and at the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BestBooklovernet-336745780072074/
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Alex Craft
Penguin
July 4, 2017
384
In the thrilling new novel from USA Today bestselling author Kalayna Price, Alex Craft comes face-to-face with the walking dead.... Grave witch Alex Craft is no stranger to the dead talking. She raises shades, works with ghosts, and is dating Death himself. But the dead walking? That's not supposed to happen. And yet reanimated corpses are committing crimes across Nekros City. Alex's investigation leads her deep into a web of sinister magic. When Briar Darque of the Magical Crimes Investigation Bureau gets involved, Alex finds herself with an unexpected ally of sorts. But as the dead continue to rise and wreak havoc on the living, can she get to the soul of the matter in time?
My Response to Laurell K Hamilton’s Latest Post
Sometimes the hardest thing in the world is to just be. Being quiet can be harder than pushing yourself from one thing to the next. When we are always in motion, there is no time for doubt or reflection or growth and peace. I struggle to be good to myself because I am always harder on myself then I am on others. So, my advice to you is to be kind to yourself, cut yourself a little slack and take it one moment at a time. Remind yourself that everything is temporary and this to will pass. Find joy in the little things,. Especially your animals and the people in your life. You have so many blessings including your talent. Remember that you are incredibly loved by many people, even those who aren’t in your day to day life.
I look forward to discussing all of this with fellow fans at my site bestbooklover.net and at the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BestBooklovernet-336745780072074/
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[Top]A chance to read a great book for free!
http://www.tor.com/2017/07/19/kushiels-dart-is-the-sex-positive-fantasy-we-need/
I look forward to discussing all of this with fellow fans at my site bestbooklover.net and at the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BestBooklovernet-336745780072074/
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[Top]Review Of Karen Chance’s Ride the Storm
I have long been a fan of Karen Chance’s body of work. I am a loyal fan and have remained undaunted in the face of all the machinations of the publisher and publishing machine. Karen Chance has long kept the faith with her readers. She often offers free stories that add to her published works to create a more complex, multifaceted and fulfilling world in which all her novels take place. Readers who only read the novels from the publishing house lose a lot of the details and the joy of seeing the characters in multiple lights. All that being said, Karen Chance’s Cassandra Palmer novel Ride the Storm has been one of the most anticipated novels in my memory. This is not the fault of Karen Chance and that cannot be said firmly enough. The publishing house has been moving dates on this novel for over a year with little to no explanation.
The previous book, Reap the Wind was judged too long by the publisher when submitted by the author. This led to a quick rewrite and the split of the book almost in half. This also left an unfulfilled feeling at the end of Reap the Wind. Many plotlines were left hanging, which left some readers unhappy and the continuous manipulation by the publishers with moving dates and little communication lost even more of the fan base. Ride the Storm is the second half of the previous book with a little bit of newer information which furthers the plot of the Cassandra Palmer novels.
I was recently asked by a friend to explain the Cassie Palmer novels and I drew a bit of a blank—how do you explain such a complicated and multifaceted storyline as the one Karen Chance has created? I told her she just needs to read it and we will talk about it once she has. To say that all of the Cassie Palmer novels are fast paced is kind of like saying a quadruple shot espresso is a little bit energizing. These books move along at a frenetic pace and always have plot twists that are unexpected to say the least. It is impossible to have predicted where the main characters end up at the beginning of this book, let alone at the end of the book.
So much happens in this book to move the plot along that after reading it 3 times, I am still finding new details to enjoy. This is not a book to start when you have a deadline coming up or really anything planned. Depending on your reading speed and availability, you should plan to be unavailable until you can finish the book. This is not one you are going to want to put down as there are no really good stopping places. My recommendation is to start it on a Friday so you can have the weekend to take a break from reality and a trip into the Cassandra Palmer universe.
This book brings resolution to a lot of the ongoing plot lines that readers have been gnashing their teeth to know. We find out why MIrcea is so interested in Pythias. We get to see Pritkin rescued. We get to see Cassie find her feet and establish her own space independent of all the forces tearing at her. We learn more about Cassie’s parents. Dorina and Cassie finally meet. We go careening through the story and learn so much along the way that it’s hard to even begin to summarize it so I am not going to even try. Despite this, there is a seeming resolution to the love triangle between Cassie, Mircea and Pritkin but it is open ended enough that I see it more as an affirmation of the fact that Cassie has complicated emotions and feelings for both men.
This book is a solid addition to the Cassandra Palmer world and yet leaves a lot of storylines open for more exploration. It is my sincere hope that Karen Chance continues to publish Cassandra Palmer books for a very long time. In order for that to happen, fans have to not only buy this book, but review it. Talk about it with friends and build it up so that the publishers contract with Karen Chance for more Cassie Palmer books.
I look forward to discussing all of this with fellow fans at my site bestbooklover.net and at the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BestBooklovernet-336745780072074/
In the interest of full disclosure, I received an ARC ebook in return for this review.
Ride the Storm
Cassandra Palmer
Paranormal
Berkeley
August 1, 2017
606
The New York Times bestselling author of Reap the Wind returns to the “fascinating world”* of Cassie Palmer. Ever since being stuck with the job of pythia, the chief seer of the supernatural world, Cassie Palmer has been playing catch up. Catch up to the lifetime's worth of training she missed being raised by a psychotic vampire instead of at the fabled pythian court. Catch up to the powerful, and sometimes seductive, forces trying to mold her to their will. It's been a trial by fire that has left her more than a little burned. But now she realizes that all that was the just the warm up for the real race. Ancient forces that once terrorized the world are trying to return, and Cassie is the only one who can stop them...